Astrology

Like the other significant parts of the Nepalese heritage Astrology too links its origin to the Vedas, the major source of virtually everything (for the Hindus) written thousands of year ago.mesh (Aries), Brish (Taurus), Mithun (Gemini), Karkat (Cancer), Simha (Leo), Kanya (Virgo), Tula (Libra), Brishchik (Scorpio), Dhanu (Sagittarius), Makar (Capricorn), Kumbha (Aquarius) and Meen(Pisces) are the 12 signs of the zodiac, and in Nepali they are called Rashi.In Nepal the moment a baby is born, the first thing they do is note down the exact time of birth. Then it is given to the astrologer, who according to the position of the different planets in the solar system at the precise moment prepares a Cheena (horoscope).

Buddhism

The Himalaya, long renowned as the abode of mystics and yogis, is the birth place of one of he greatest healers known to mankind, Shakyamuni Gautam Buddha. Today in the valley of Kathmandu there flourish many monasteries, schools and teachers were the teachings of Shakaymuni can be heard, just as they were taught two and a half thousand years ago.What makes Buddhism unique is its scientific basis and logical explanation of the phenomena known as life, without the reliance on an external creator...

Festivals

Most festivals honor a deity with worshippers crowding around a shrine to perform puja. Temple courtyards are filled with long lines of people waiting to teast. Great processions wind through thestreets of the three old cities. Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan, accompained by bands of Newar musicians and masked dancers. Sometimes idols of gods are paraded in gigantic wooden chariot shrines unique to Nepal...

Healing

The "jhankris" are shamans, who, with the garlands of tiny bells around their necks tremble and chant at the beat of the drum which they play during the invocation and possession of spirits, and sometimes their elaborate performance runs for the whole night. Often their ritual also involves sacrifice of either a rooster or a black goat depending upon the nature of the complication. The others are incredibly simple people, a broomstick, some grains of husked rice, a pinch of ash, incense sticks and a couple of spoonfuls of water, charged with tantric spirits is all they need to come out with a miracle..

Kumari-The Living Goddess

From time immemorial the practice of worshipping an ordinary pre-pubescent girl as a source of supreme power has been an integral part of both Hinduism and Buddhism, a tradition which continues even to this day virtually in every household. They call this girl Kumari Keti and worship her on all the religious occasions.The predominance of the Kumari cult is more distinctly evident among the Newar community inside the Kathmandu Valley..

Pilgrimage

A Pilgrimage to Muktinath You are sure to become enchanted by the sight of the bewildering Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges as you approach the Pokhara Valley by air or surface. The next morning when you discover the sky clear and the mountains in view, you then know you are on your special journey to Muktinath.

Symbols

For primitive man what mattered most was his survival which was not easy as every now and then he did encounter different kinds of negative forces of nature, some of which threatened his existence, so in sheer agony and desperation he prayed to mother nature and the celestial bodies for their protection. The gesture this pre-historic man used while sending his prayers constitutes the first symbol of man's genuine worship on this planet.In the process of this evolution, man's quest for knowledge led him to create his own religion and since then man has traveled a long way someties falling victim to his own creed, at times..

Meditation, Yoga & Ayurveda

Meditation vipassana is one of the mot ancient meditation techniques. Long lost to humanity, it was rediscovered by Gautam Buddha more than 2500 years ago. Vipassana means to see things as they really are, it is the process of self purification by self observation. One starts by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With this sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind and experience the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egoless ness. The entire path (Dhamma) is a universal remedy for universal problems and has nothing to do with any organized..

Myths and Folklore

Perhaps nowhere on earth myth features so prominently in the beliefs of the people as it does in Nepal. For Nepal has millions of myth-ridden gods and goddesses, mighty snow-clad mountains- some of them the very embodiment of the gods and goddesses themselves. Added to this, are the rivers and valleys-each of them dotted with a legendary myth of their own. Not even the planetary system in the universe escapes these myths. Indeed myth in Nepal amounts to a lively legend which in Nepal amounts to lively legend which..

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